The present invention relates generally to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and filler materials incorporated into the PTFE when making PTFE seals, bushings, rider rings, support pads and other articles. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite materials in which relatively soft glass or mineral particles are used as the filler material.
PTFE is a particularly versatile polymer material which has many industrial and domestic uses. PTFE has become a particularly popular material for use in fabricating seals, brushing, rider rings and support pads due to its inherently low coefficient of friction, electrical insulating properties and resistance to chemical attack. PTFE based materials are especially well-suited for use with relatively reciprocating and/or rotating surfaces. For example, PTFE bushing or seals are particularly popular for use with rotating shafts and PTFE based rider rings are popular for sealing reciprocating pistons such as those commonly found in pumps, compressors and other relatively low temperature piston operated apparatus. PTFE based materials have also found wide use a bearing pads used to support bridges and high rise buildings.
A basic problem with articles made from pure PTFE seals is that although the impact strength of pure PTFE is high, the tensile strength, wear resistance and creep resistance are low in comparison to other engineering plastics. In order to structurally strengthen the PTFE, it has been common practice to incorporate various filler materials such as hard glass fibers, bronze, carbon and graphite into the pure PTFE. These filler materials are designed to prevent the PTFE from becoming deformed during continued use and to provide additional desired characteristics not available when the seals or other articles are made from pure PTFE alone.
A typical glass filler material which has been widely used in the past is a relatively hard glass material which is marketed by the Owens Corning Corporation under the trade name E-Glass. E-Glass is a well-known glass product which is commercially available in a wide variety of forms. E-Glass is usually sold as continuous fibers or chopped fibers which are incorporated into numerous different polymer products to form a wide variety or structurally strong materials. PTFE seals which incorporate E-Glass are resistant to cold creep and are not easily deformed; however the tensile strength of PTFE filled with E-Glass is lower than pure PTFE. Also, E-Glass is a particularly hard glass having a Rockwell C hardness of roughly 65C. When PTFE seals utilizing E-Glass as the filler material are used as a seal or support between metal parts or other materials having a similar or lower hardness than the E-Glass, considerable wear debris is generated during movement of the parts. This is an especially critical problem in expensive compressor and pump equipment where the generation of wear debris between the E-Glass reinforced PTFE and metal parts results in premature failure of the equipment requiring tear-down, inspection and rebuilding of the apparatus.
It would be desirable to provide a PTFE material having a suitable alternative filler material which provides adequate structural strength to the PTFE and resistance to cold creep, while at the same time limiting the amount of wear debris generated between the PTFE and the surfaces which rub against the PTFE during operation of the equipment.